Traveling on I 40 from the east of Amarillo to the western area where the campground was located was slow moving as there was major construction being done on I 40. We got set up in our campsite and then headed out for some lunch. We had spied a Rudy's BBQ on our way just west of the construction so that is where we went for some good old Texas barbecue. We got a 1/2 pound of beef brisket and a smoked sausage which we shared along with Cole slaw and potato salad. The brisket was moist and tender and the sausage had a nice spiciness to it.
Today, Sunday (9th), we drove a short distance from the campground to the Cadillac Ranch, an area that has 10 Cadillacs partially planted in the ground in a field a short distance from the road. The cars were painted in all colors. The trash all around this area indicated that people bring spray cans of paint here to ply to the cars in all sorts of fashion and then dispose of the cans by throwing them on the ground. Quite trashy but was well visited every time we passed by the area.
We, then, drove about 25 miles south of Amarillo to Palo Duro Canyon State Park. We had been to this park several years ago when it was much hotter than today. Temperatures were in the upper 60's this morning briefly reaching 80 by late afternoon. Called the Grand Canyon of Texas, Palo Duro is the second largest canyon in North America encompassing 27,173 acres. The canyon is about 120 miles long and 600 to 800 feet deep.
A road through the park of 16 miles goes down into the lower level of the canyon and takes at least an hour to drive. We stopped at several places admiring the beautiful colors of the canyon walls. At one point we did walk a partial distance on a hiking trail.
Leaving the Canyon we headed back to Amarillo making a stop at Rosa's Cafe and Tortilla Factory for lunch where we saw a fairly full parking lot that indicated it was probably a good eating place. We were not disappointed. We then stopped at a United Grocery store to pick up a few items, nice store and very courteous employees.
Tomorrow on westward.
